The U.S. men’s national team—seven-time Concacaf Gold Cup champions—is set to experience a completely revamped structure and format next year for the regional competition.

The Stars and Stripes can actually punch their ticket directly to the biennial tournament by defeating Haiti on aggregate in the upcoming two-match series in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals later this month. All four Nations League finalists earn automatic bids to the Gold Cup next summer.

Participating in all 18 editions of the tournament since its inception in 1991, the USMNT has a long history of success in the Concacaf Gold Cup, winning in 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2021 and reaching the finals six other times. They are the second-winningest nation in the tournament’s history, behind only Mexico, who has 10 titles to its name.

El Tri most recently ran away with victory in 2025, battling the USMNT to a 2–1 result in the final in front of a sold-out crowd of over 70,000 fans in Houston.

The Gold Cup is regarded as a significant stepping stone toward the next World Cup tournament, a chance for each competing nation to test their best and brightest players on a competitive stage and fight for meaningful silverware.

2027 Concacaf Gold Cup’s Revamped Structure

There will still be 16 teams in the competition—15 Concacaf members nations and one invited guest nation.

In previous editions, the nations were divided into four groups of four, with each nation playing three total group stage matches round-robin style. Alternatively, in 2027, there will only be two total groups, containing eight teams each. Each nation will now play four group stages match against four different opponents from their group.

The structural change allows for an additional group stage match per team, as well as higher competition levels, given the tournament’s most competitive teams will no longer be divided up within so many different groups.

Similar to past editions, eight total teams will advance to the knockout stages—now four from each group, as opposed to two. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are all single-elimination, as in past years.

“We are really excited about what this new format will bring to the tournament’s group stage,” Concacaf President Victor Montagliani said on Thursday. “Our fans want to see the best teams in our region compete against each other, and this format will create more opportunities for those matchups to happen earlier in the competition.

“At the same time, every match will matter, with teams facing a balanced mix of opponents and competing for a place in the knockout rounds. We believe this will make for a more competitive and exciting Gold Cup from the very first match through to the final.”

The 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup will kick off on June 17, and the final will be held on July 11. The tournament draw is scheduled for April 8, while the locations and venues for the tournament will be announced shortly.